Machine for forming and finishing concrete surfaces



May i7 1966 E. D. IANNETTI ETAL 3,251,281

MACHINE FOR FORMING AND FINISHING CONCRETE SURFACES 7 Sheets-Sheet 1Filed April 20, 1961 May 17, 1966 E, D. IANNETTI ETAL 3,251,281

MACHINE FOR FORMING AND FINISHING CONCRETE SURFACES Filed April 2O '7Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTOR NE YS 7 Sheets-Sheet 5 E. D. IANNETTI ETAL MACHINEFOR FORMING AND FINISHING CONCRETE SURFACES Filed April 20, 1961 S N U Il l lVul I I i I l II l l I l l l l I mnl I I OE n R llllll Illllll. I II l I l l I I HJ I l l I I I I I |I| N UG RTA qu @mmm Y U mm o M Mr munmwiwllum WDM A J\ l I l lltrrrhb c.. ||||||LL|TVJI l I I I I l I I IllTC .m S/P NQ uw@ EQ um Mm R A o 5J M V.. B

May i711 1966 E. D. IANNETTI ETAL 3,251,281

MACHINE FOR FORMING AND FINISHING CONCRETE SURFACES '7 Sheets-Sheet 4Filed April 20, 1961 INVENTORY EKA/EX D.

ATTORNEYS 15E. EE

MACHINE FOR FORMING AND FINISHING CONCRETE SURFACES 7 Sheets-Sheet 5Filed April 20, 1961 bmN l N VEN TORS ATTORNEYS l'7, 1966 E. D. IANNETTIETAL MACHINE FOR FORMING AND FINISHING CONCRETE SURFACES 7 Sheets-Sheet6 Filed April 20, 1961 INVENTORS 5K/VEST D, Imm/77 MA1/gne E. ,fag/SoyBY Josef# /u X03/mm ATTORNEYS May l7, 1956 E. D. IANNETTI ETAL 3,251,281

MACHINE FOR FORMING AND FINISHING CONCRETE SURFACES Filed April 20, 19617 Sheets-Sheet '7 ATTORNEYS United States Patent O 3,251,281 MACHINE FORFORMING AND FINISHING. CONCRETE SURFACES Ernest D. Iannetti, Westlake,and Maurice E. Robinson and Joseph N. Robinson, Lakewood, Ohio,assignors to The Cleveland Formgrader Company, Avon, Ohio, a corporationof Ohio Filed Apr. 20, 1961, Ser. No. 159,196 (Filed under Rule 47(a)and 35 U.S.C. 116) 2 Claims. (Cl. 94--45) This invention relates toconcrete working apparatus, and more particularly to a novel andimproved machine for forming and finishing concrete surfaces, as roadwaysurfaces and the like.

Heretofore, fthe prior art concrete finishing machines were made veryheavy since it was believed that the finish of the concrete was lafunction ofthe weighitof the screed or concrete finishing machine. Suchheavy prior art ma-` chines are costly to make, expensive to operatebecause of the excessive weight, diiiicult to transport and costly touse because they require heavy forming rails to support the same.Accordingly, it is an important object of the present invention toprovide a novel and improved concrete forming and finishing machinewhich is light in weight and more portable than the prior art devicesIand consequently much easier to operate. The concrete finishing machineof the present invention is provided with a lightweight screed which isinterconnected with a lightweight movable supporting frame by means of aplurality of hydraulic cylinders which function to apply a downwardlydirected pressure on the screed, whereby the need for a heavy cumbersomemachine is eliminated and the finish of the concrete is a function ofthe pressure that can be applied by the hydraulic cylinders.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a novel andimproved machine for forming and iinishing concrete surfaces which islighter than the prior art heavier type of screed machine, yet whichwill provide a better finish on the concrete than can be achieved withsaid prior art machines.

It is a further object of the present invention toprovide a novel andimproved machine for forming and finishing concrete surfaces which ismore portable than the prior art similar machines because it is lighter.The lightweight concrete nishing machine of the present invention may behandled by a fewer number of men than it takes to handle a correspondingheavy prior art type machine. The concrete finishing machine of thepresent invention may also be transported by means of smaller equipmentthan was possible to use heretofore in transporting the heavier priorart machines.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a screedmachine for finishing concrete roadways which is constructed and adaptedto permit the userA to throw the machine off center when the center ofthe desired parabolic crown is off center. The machine of the presentinvention may accomplish the function of throwing the machine off centerby employing different length frame end sections on the machine, andthese frame ends may be interchanged quickly and eiciently to carry outthis function. The prior art concrete Ifinishing machines cannot quicklyand efficiently provide an off center parabolic crown concrete finishsince they are constructed and arranged so that it 'is necessary to gothrough an elaborate and time consuming `set-up to change theirstructure to provide this result.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a noveland improved concrete finishing machine which is provided with a novelwheel supporting means that permits the wheels to float laterallyoutwardly or inwardly, thereby allowing for any misadjustment in thesetting of the road forming rails. The supporting wheels of the presentmachine are operatively mounted on adjustable end sections which aredetachably secured to the main frame of the machine so that the machineof the present invention provides an infinite adjustment to permit themachine to be adjusted lengthwise to any desired width of roadway, asdesired.

It i-s still another object of the present invention to provide a novelrand improved `concrete vfinishing machine which is more economical toproduce than the prior art machines, more iiexible :and adaptable forvarious uses than the similar prior art machines, and which has a widerange of length adjustability.

It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a noveland improved concrete finishing machine which is compact and rugged inconstruction, light in weight, efficient in operation and which may beeasily and quickly manipulated by a minimum number of persons.

Other objects, features and advantages of this invention will beapparent from the following detailed description and appended claims,reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of thespecification wh-erein like reference numerals designate correspondingparts of the several views.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a machine for forming andfinishing concrete surfaces and which is constructed in accordance withthe principles of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of an illustrative main truss for thecarriage of the machine illustrated in FIG. l;

FIG. 3 is an end elevational view of the structure illustrated in FIG.2, taken from the right side thereof;

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of a frame end channel and trussextension employed in the machine illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG.` 5 is an end elevational view of the structure illustrated in FIG.4, taken from the right side thereof;

FIG. 6 is a side elevational View of =a short frame end channel andtruss extension which may be employed in the machine illustrated in FIG.1;

FIG. 7 is a top` plan view of the main frame and frame end extensions ofthe carriage of the present machine, and showing the same with the powerunit elements removed and the truss sections removed;

FIG. 8 is a front elevational view of the structure shown in FIG. 7, andwith the truss structure mounted thereon;

FIG. 9 is an enlarged front elevational view of a screed hangermechanism employed in the invention, and showing a fragmentary portionof the screed;

FIG. 10 is an elevational sectional view of thestructure illustrated inFIG. 9, taken lalong the line 10-10 thereof and looking in the directionof the arrows;

FIG. 1l is an enlarged fragmentary top plan view of the structureillustrated in FIG. 7, taken within the circle marked 11;

FIG. 12 is an enlarged top plan view of the power section of the machineof the present invention, and this power section is locatedsubstantially centrally `on the machine carriage;

FIG. 13 is an enlarged top plan view of a 'frame end posed screed hangerguide structure which is xedly mounted on the front of the machinecarriage;

FIG. 16 is an enlarged horizontal sectional view of the structureillustrated in FIG. 15, taken along the line 16-16 thereof and lookingin the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 17 is a fragmentary, broken side elevational view of the center ormain portion of the screed employed in the machine of the presentinvention;

FIG. 18 is an enlarged fragmentary, broken elevational end view of thestructure illustrated in FIG. 17, taken in the direction of the arrow 18of FIG. 17;

FIG. 19 is a fragmentary front elevational view of the carriage frameand truss structure, and showing one of the screed hanger slides :andguide means;

FIG. 20 is a side elevational view of a screed end portion employedinthe screed of the present invention;

FIG. 21 is an enlarged elevational sectional view of the structureillustrated in FIG. 20, taken along the line 21-21 thereof and lookingin the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 22 is an enlarged, fragmentary and elevational view 'of thestructure illustrated in FIG. 20, taken in the direction of the arrowmarked 22; and,

FIG. 23 is a schematic diagram of the hydraulic system for operating thescreed hydraulic cylinders.

The principles of this invention may be incorporated into various typesof actual machines, and carried out with variations in operatingtechniques, but fundamentally the machine comprises the power drivencariage generally indicated by the numeral and the longitudinallyextended screed generally indicated by the numeral 11, which isoperatively mounted Ialong one side of the carriage 10k for upward anddownward movement and longitudinal movement on the carriage 10 by meansof the screed supporting means generally indicated by the numerals 12,13 and 14. As shown in FIG. 1, the carriage 10 comprises a light-Weightconstruction which is fabricated from channel iron and which is adaptedto straddle the usual road forming rails or forms and ride along the topthereof, and to be power driven as more fully described hereinafter.

As best seen in FIGS. 1, 7, 8 and 13, the carriage 10 includes asupporting frame structure which `comprises an intermediate frameportion generally indicated by the numeral 15, and the left land righthand adjustably mounted end frame sections generally indicated by thenumerals 16 and 17. The intermediate carriage frame section comprisesthe laterally spaced apart longitudinally extended channels 18 `and 19which are xedly interconnected by the cross braces or channels 20, 21,22 and 23. 18 and 19 may be interconnected by the aforementioned crossbraces at as many places as is desired, and the cross braces may be xedto the longitudinally extended channels 18 and 19 by any suitable means,as by welding or by rivets. The main frame 10 further includes thehorizontally disposed cross bracing channels 21 and 22 which are xedlyconnected to the longitudinal channels 18 and 19 by any suitable means,as by welding or by rivets.

The end frame Vsections 16 and 17 are identically constructed and theright end section 17 will be described in detail and similar referencenumerals will be applied to the left end section 16, followed by thesmall letter LL As shown in FIGS. 7, 8, 13 and 19, the right end framesection comprises the longitudinally extended laterally spaced apartchannel members 23 and 24 which are adapted to be slidably engagedagainst the inner surfaces of the main frame rails 18 and 19 and besecured thereto by any suitable means, as by the bolt and nut assembliesgenerally indicated by the numeral 25. As shown lin FIGS. 13 and 14, atransversely disposed channel 27 is xedly secured to the outer `ends ofthe longitudinally extended channels 23 and 24, as by welding, and thechannel 27 extends forwardly and rearwardly of the main frame channels18 and 19. The channels 23 and 24 `are provided with a plurality ofspaced holes as 26 which The intermediate or main frame channels A arepreferably about three inches apart, whereby the end sections may beadjusted quickly and easily to permit the carriage to straddle roadwayforms spaced apart at various distances on various jobs. The channel 27is further interconnected with the channels 23 and 24 by the angle ordiagonal braces 28 and 29, respectively. The right end frame section 17further includes the outwardly disposed channel 30 which is the Samelength as the channel 27 and is laterally spaced outwardly therefrom.The channels 27 and 30 are interconnected at the ends thereof Iby thecross channels 31 and 32. As best seen in FIGS. 13 and 14, the channels27 and 30 are further interconnected with the channel 23 by means of thevertical plate 33 which is welded across the channels 30 and 27 andextended inwardly and over the channel 23 to which it is furtherconnected by welding. A similar vertical bracing plate 34 also connectsthe channels 27, 30 and 24.

The end lframe section 17 also functions .as a carrier frame for thesupporting rollers of the carriage with each end frame havingoperatively mounted thereon two rollers. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 13, afront roller or wheel 35 is rotatably mounted on the transverselydisposed shaft 36 which has the ends thereof extended through thechannels 27 and 30 and operatively journaled in the bearing members 37and 38. The wheel 35 is 'adapted to ride on the concrete rail or formnormally used in making roadways, and it is permitted to slide or floatsidewise in each direction in case of misadjustment of the road rails,so as to provide .a floating wheel of about three inches floatingtravel. As shown in FIG. 13, a sprocket 243 is suitably xedly connectedto the wheel 35 for propelling the same, and this sprocket is driven byla suitable chain 42 which is in turn driven by the sprocket 39 which isoperatively mounted on a longitudinally extended power shaft 40. Theouter end of the shaft 40 is operatively mounted in the bearing member41 which is fixedly mounted on the outer side of the channel 30. Thedrive shaft 40 is driven by a suitable power means as describedhereinafter in detail. The right end frame section 17 is provided with arear roller or wheel 43 which is similar to the wheel 35 and which isoperatively mounted on the shaft 44 for sliding or oating sidewisemovement in the same manner as the wheel 35. The `shaft 44 extendsthrough the channels 27 Iand 30 and has the ends thereof yoperativelyjournaled in the bearing members 45 and 46. A drive sprocket 47 issuitably fixedly connected to the wheel 43 for driving the same, andthis sprocket is driven by the chain 48 which is in turn driven by thesprocket 231 on the shaft 40. As shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, the angleirons 49 and 50 are welded along the top of the channels 27 and 30between the vertical plates 33 and 34. Fixedly mounted between theangles 49 and 50 is a suitable grill as 51 which serves as a platformfor the operators of the machine, and which is xedly secured to theangles 49 and 50 by any suitable means, as by the -bolts 52.

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the machine is provided with a power sectionwhich is generally designated by the numeral 53. The power section 53comprises a supportmg frame .made from suitable channel iron and othermetal members, and this frame is adapted to be xedly connected to themain frame of the carriage at a central longitudinal position as shownin FIG. 7. The power section frame comprises the transversely disposedchannels 54 and 55 which are longitudinally spaced apart and xedlyinterconnected by the longitudinally extended channels 56, 57, 58 and59. The channels 58 and 59 are further interconnected by the transversechannels 60, 61 and 62. Fixedly mounted between the transverse powersection frame channels 55 and 62 is the longitudinally extended plate 63on which is xedly mounted, by any suitable means, the engine 64 whichmay be of any suitable internal combustion engine make and of anysuitable horsepower, as for example, a nine horsepower, twelvehorsepower or eighteen horsepower air-cooled engine, according to t-hesize of the machine. As shown in FIG. 12, the output shaft of the engine64 is provided with a drive pulley 65 which drives the driven pulley 66by means of the V-belt 67. The member 68 is a conventional belttightener. The driven pulley 66 is ixedly mounted on the input shaft 69of a conventional right angle gear reduction drive unit 70 which istixedly mounted on the plate 71 |between the channels 56 and 57. Thegear reduction unit 70 has a first output shaft 72 which is operativelyconnected by the conventional coupling 73 to a conventional four speedtransmission having a forward and reverse unit and generally indicatedbyv the numeral 74.

The transmission 74 is provided with an output shaft 75 which isoperatively connected by a conventional coupling 76 to the stub shaft77. The shaft 77 is rotatably mounted in suitable bearing members 78 and79 which are longitudinally spaced apart and iixedly mounted on thespaced apart'plates 80 and 81, respectively, which are disposed betweenthe channels 56 and 57. Fixedly mounted on the stulb shaft 77 by anysuitable means is the drive sprocket 82 which is connected by means ofthe drive chain 83 with the driven sprocket 84. The drive chain 83 maybe tightened by means of the conventional chain take-up means 85. Asshown in FIG. 12, the inner end of the drive shaft 40a is operativelyjournaled in the bearing member 86 which is fixedly mounted on the plate87 which is connected to the channel 54.A The inner end of the driveshaft 40a is operatively connected to a suitable steering clutchgenerally indicated by the numeral 91, and on the inner end thereof onwhich is operatively mounted the sprocket 84. As shown in FIG. 12, theother drive shaft 40 also has its inner end operatively journaled in abearing member 88 which is mounted on the plate 89 that is tixedlyconnected to the transverse frame channel 62. The inner end of the driveshaft 40 is also operatively connected to a steering clutch generallyindicated by the numeral 90, and which is identically the same as theclutch 91. The clutch 90 is also operatively connected to the drivensprocket 84 by means of the shaft 92 which has one end thereofoperatively connected to the sprocket 84 and the other end thereofoperatively connected to the clutch 90. As shown `in FIG. 12, the shaft92 is rotatably mounted in suitable bearing members as 93 and 94 whichare mounted on the plates 95 and 96 which are in turn fixed to thechannels 60 and 61, respectively. It will be seen that theaforedescribed power drive structure permits the operator of the machineto guide the same in the forward or rearward directions, as desired. Asshown in FIG. 12, the power section further includes a conventionalbattery generally indicated by the numeral 97 which is carried on theplate 98 that is supported by the channels 59 and 99. The numeral 100indicates the usual battery cable.

As shown in FIG. 7, the longitudinally extended frame channels 18 and 19are each comprised of three parts. That is, the channel 1S comprisesVthe small or short end sections indicated by the numerals 101 and 102,and a long intermediate section, and the channel 19 is also similarlyconstructed with the end sections 103 and 104.

. These end sections of the channels 18 and '19 are more fully describedhereinafter. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 8, the carriage main frame furtherincludes the laterally disposed longitudinally extended main trusses 105and 106. These main trusses extend over the entire length of the longcentral parts of the frame channels 18 and 19 between the pointsindicated by the numerals 107 and 108 in FIG. 8. As shown in FIGS. 2`and 3, each of the main trusses comprises a pair of angle bars 109 and110 along the upper end thereof and the angle bars 111 and 112 along thelower end thereof. These upper and lower disposed angle irons areinterconnected by a plurality of angularly disposed flat Ibars as 113which have the ends thereof tixedly mounted, as by welding, between theupper and lower sets of angle bars. As shown in FIG. 2, the Vends of themain truss sections are formed by vertical plates 114 and 115 which areprovided with suitable bolt holes as 116. The main trusses and. 106 arefixedly secured to the tops of the channels 118 and 119 by any suitablemeans, as by welding.

As shown in FIGS. 1 through 8 and 19, the main frame channel extensions101, 102, 103 and 104 are integrally formed with truss extensions as117, 113, 119 and 120. It will be understood that these main frame endextensions, including both the extensions of the channels and `thetrusses, may be of any desired length. As, for example, the main frameassembly extensions shown in FIG. l are of a first length and the endframe and truss extension assembly 121, shown in FIG. 4, is of a secondand longer length. The end frame extension 122 of FIG. 6 is of a stillshorter length, and the end frame extensions 123 and 124, shown in FIG.8, are of a still shorter length. It will be seen that the machine maybe provided with various length extensions. as desired, in accordancewith the distance between the roadway forms on which the machine is tobe used.

The various end frame and truss extensions for the main frame are allsimilarly constructed, and the extension 124 shown in FIGS. 8 and 19will be described in detail and it will be understood that the othersimilar extensions are made in the same manner. The main frame extension124 comprises a pair of channel irons as 125 between which is ixedlysecured the upper end of the diagonal brace plates or bars 126 and towhich is secured the upper end of the plate 127. The lower end of theextension member 124 is comprised of a pair of angles as 12S and betweenwhich are fixedlyheld the lower ends of the cross braces 126. The innerend of the extension member 124 is formed by the vertical plate 129. Theextension channel 104 is tixedly secured to the lower side of the angleirons 1,28 by any .suitable means, as by welding. The channel members104 and the main portion of the channel 19 is interconnected by themetal plate 131 which is ixedly welded to either the end extensionchannel 104 or to the channel 19 and bolted to the opposite or unweldedchannel. As shown in FIG. 19, the connector plate 131 is welded to thechannel 19 and secured to the channel 104 by the bolt and nut assembly130. It will be seen that the channel 23 and 24 of the end wheel frames16 and 17 are in actuality detachably connected to the extensionportions 101, 102, 103 and 104 of the main channels 18 and 19. Theplates 115 and 129 of the main trusses and end section trusses aresuitably connected by any means, as by the bolt and nut assembly 132.The aforedescribed wheel oating structure which permits the wheels onthe carriage to freely move inwardly and outwardly approximately threeinches and the three inch adjustment for spacing of the bolt holes inthe interconnecting frame channels of the end truck frames and the mainframe section provides an infinite adjustment in the length of thecarriage, to provide for any misadjustment in the setting of the roadwayrails or forms.

The structure of the screed unit 11, shown in FIG. 1, is clearlyillustrated in FIGS. 9, 10, 17, 18, 20, 21 and 22. The screed unit 11 ispreferably construted in the form of a lightweight box girder or beam.It is preferably constructed in three parts, namely, the intermediate orcenter section 133, and the releasably attached end sections 134 and 135which are constructed identically. As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, theintermediate screed unit comprises a vertically disposed front plate 136and a vertically disposed rear plate 137 which extend. the full lengthof the intermediate section and which are disposed in spacedrelationship. Disposed between the plates 136 and 137, at the loweredges thereof, is the surfacing plate 138 which extends substantiallythe full length of the plates 136 and 137. The surfacing plate 138 isprovided with a short upturned flange 139 along the forward edge thereofand a short upturned flange along the rear edge thereof. As shown inFIG. 10, the lower edges of the side plates 136 and 137 are bentinwardly slightly so as to always overlap the flanges 139 and 140,respectively. The upper edge of each of the side plates 136 and 137 isturned inwardly and then downwardly as indicated by the numerals 141 and142 for reinforcement of the side plates. The plates 136 and 137 aresecured together at their upper edges by means of a plurality of crossbars which are spaced longitudinally thereof and which extendtransversely thereof. The cross bars 145 are xedly secured to the sidewalls 136 and 137 by any suitable means, as by welding. Cover plates 144may also be provided for `the full length of the plates 136 and 137, andthese plates fit between the bars 145 and are provided with bolts forretaining the same in place.

The side plates 136 and 137 are xedly interconnected at longitudinallyspaced apart positions by the cross channels 145 which are secured tothese plates by any suitable means, as by welding. The surfacing plate138 carries the transversely disposed longitudinally spaced apartplurality of shoes 146 and each of these shoes has a pair of bolts 147pivotally mounted thereon as at 148. The shoes are xedly secured to thesurfacing plate 138 as by welding. The upper end of each of these bolts147 is threaded as at 149 and receives an internally threaded nut member150. Each of the nut members 150 `has integrally formed therewith anupper flanged collar 151, whereby when the member 151 is rotated, apushing or pulling force will be exerted on the rods 147 and on theplate 138, depending upon the direction of rotation of the members 151.

The end screed unit 134 and the end screed unit 135 are constructedsimilarly to the aforedescribed central screed unit 133, and they havebeen marked with similar reference numerals followed by the smallletters c and d. As shown in FIG. 20, the outer end of the screedextension 134 is closed by means of a plate 152 which has a flange onthe upper end as 153 that extends over the top of the screed unit. Ashort piece of angle iron 154 is welded along the lower edge of `the endof the extension screed unit 134. The end closure. plate 152 may bebolted to the screed unit as by means of bolts 155 and 156 which arethreadably mounted in suitable holes in the vertical angle members 157and 158, as shown in FIG. 21. As shown in FIGS. 17 and 18, theintermediate screed unit 133 is open at each end thereof and is providedwith connector bars as 159 and 160 which are welded to the side plates136 and 137. These plates are also provided with holes therethrough andnuts as 161 mounted in alignment with these holes on the inside of theplates 136 and 137, whereby bolts may be threaded through theaforementioned holes and into operative engagement with the nuts 161.The connector plates 159 and 160 are adapted to overlap the open innerends of the end units as 134 and 135 and be connected by means of boltspassing through the bolt holes 231 in the plate 159 and bolt holes 162in the plates of the screed end sections. As shown in FIG. 22, thescreed end sections are open on the inner ends and are provided withbolts as 163 welded to the insde thereof and in alignment with boltholes for bolting the connector plates 159 and 160 to the screed unitend sections.

As shown in FIG. 1, the screed unit 133 is provided with an inwardlyextendedv horizontal arm unit 164, and on the inner end of this arm ispivotally mounted the screed oscillating arm 165. As shown in FIG. 12,the arm 165 is connected by means of the shaft 166 to the eccentric arm167 which is xedly connected to the output shaft 168 of the right angledrive unit 169. The shaft 168 is rotatably supported by the means of thebearing member 170 which is secured to the plate 171 which is welded tothe frame channel 19. The input shaft 172 of the right angle drive unit169 is connected by a conventional coupling 173 to the four speedtransmission generally indicated by the numeral 174. The transimission174 8 vis connected by the conventional clutch and gear shifting unit175 to the right angle drive unit 70. It will be seen that the lastmentioned power drive train will move the screed unit sidewardly, thatis, backwardly and forwardly in a longitudinal direction relative to thecarriage, in an oscillatory manner.

As shown in FIGS. l and 8, the screed unit 11 is supported for upwardand downward movement on the carriage by means of the supporting units12, 13 and 14. Since all of these units are constructed similarly onlyone will be described in detail.

Each of the screed supporting units comprises a slide member generallyindicated by the numeral 176 in FIG. 10 and in FIG. 19. As shown in FIG.16, the slide 176 comprises a vertically disposed channel 177 whichfaces inwardly toward the carriage, and on the outer sides of which iswelded the angles 178 and 179. Welded to the bottom of the slide member176 is an outwardly extended arm 180 to which is xedly secured thebearing member 181 which rotatably receives the lower end of thevertical shaft 182. The upper end of the shaft 182 is operativelyjournaled in the bearing member 183 which is xedly secured to the anglemember 184 which is in turn-secured to the slide and the bottom of theoutwardly extended channel 185. Rotatably mounted on the vertical shaft182 is the rotor 186 which is adapted to bear against the bearing plate187 welded along the outside of the screed unit plate 137. There arethree of the bearing plates 187 mounted on the screed unit at the threepositions of the screed supporting units. The outwardly extended channelis supported by the two brace plates 188 and 189 which are tixedlyconnected at the inner ends thereof to the slide 178 and at the outerends thereof to the outer end of the channel 185. Welded to the bottomof the channel 185 in spaced relationship are the two plates 190 and 191and connected to these plates in downwardly spaced relationship are theplates 192 and 193, so as to form a pair of spaced apart roller tracks.As shown in FIG. 9, the outer bars 191 and 193 are interconnected by thevertical spacer members 194 and 195 so as to form the roller track 196in which is rollably received the roller 197. The roller 197 isoperatively mounted on the shaft 198 which is journaled in the bearingmember 199 carried on the plate 200 which is bolted to the top of thescreed unit by means of the bolts 201 and 202. The shaft 198 extendsthrough the bearing member 199 and is provided with the second roller203 which rolls in the roller slot 204 formed between the dependingplates 190 and 192. The last mentioned structure comprises a screedhanger unit, and this unit may be further reinforced by thelongitudinally extended plates 205 and 206 which are interconnected bythe inverted angle bar 207. It will be seen that when the slide 176 israised or lowered, by the following described means, the screed unit 11will be moved upwardly and downwardly and at the same time the screedunit may be moved longitudinally of the carriage.

The slide 176 is provided with the threaded shaft 208 at the upper endthereof, and this shaft is xed to the slide by any suitable means, as bywelding. As shown in FIG. 19, the upper end of the shaft is mountedthrough a suitable hole in the bracket 209 and the downward movement ofthe slide 176 is limited by the stop nut 210. The slide 176 is movedupwardly and downwardly until the stop nut 210 hits the bracket 209 bymeans of a suitable hydraulic cylinder generally indicated by thenumeral 211 in FIG. 15. The hydraulic cylinder has one end thereofconnected to the depending arm 212 on the bracket 209 and to theupwardly extended bracket 213 on the slide 176. The hydraulic cylinders211 are connected by suitable hydraulic conduits to the hydraulic pumpgenerally indicated by the numeral 214 in FlG. l2. The pump 214 isdriven by means of the pulley 215 and the drive belt 232 which ismounted on the drive pulley 65.

As shown in FIGS. l1, 15, and 19, the slide 176 is slidably mounted in atrack or guide member which comprises a first channel 216i, which iswelded to the frame channel 19 by means of the plate 217 and the angle218. The channel 216 is reinforced with the downwardly sloping channel219, as shown in FIG. 11. The inner end of the channel 219 is connectedby means of the bolt and nut assembly 220 to the frame cross channel 22,and at the upper end thereof it is connected by means of the boltassembly 221 to the downwardly sloping plate 222 which is welded to thechannel 216. The screed slide track structure further includes the outerchannel 223 which is secured to the inner channel 216 by means of aplurality of angle straps as 224 being connected by the bolt and nutassemblies 225 to similar angle straps 226 on the rear channel 216. Itwill be seen that the outer channel may be adjusted relative to theinner channel by means of the securing pads 224 and 226 and the bolt andnut assemblies 225. As shown in FIG. 16, the outer channel 223 isprovided with the spaced apart vertically disposed lixedly mounted bars227 and 228 which are mounted on the web of the channel. The trackstructure also includes the vertically disposed bars 229 and 230 whichare welded to the feet of the channel along the outer edge thereof toform a track in which the slide 176 is slidably mounted, as clearlyshown in FIG. 16.

It will be seen that the machine of the present invention provides aconcrete finishing machine which is light in Weight, economical tomanufacture, portable and easy to handle by a minimum number of men. Themachine of `the present invention can be used on roadway forms which arelighter since the machine is lighter than the prior art machines andtherefore the cost of setting the rails will be cut down by using thepresent machine.

It will be seen that the bracket 209 is fixedly secured to the upper endof the channel 223 by any suitable means as by welding. The screed unithanger structure and slide structure was described for the positionshown in FIG. 1 by the numeral 14 which generally indicated the screedsupporting means at that point in the machine. The corresponding partsof the screed supporting means 12 and 13 have been marked with similarnumerals followed by the small letters e and L respectively. Thenumerals 232 and 233 indicate the control levers for the clutches 90 and91, respectively.

A schematic diagram of the hydraulic control system for the threehydraulic cylinders 211 for operating the screed 11 upwardly anddownwardly is illustrated in FIG. 23. The cylinder 211 would be thecylinder for the screed supporting means l14. The hydraulic cylindersfor the screed supporting means 13 and 12 are indicated by the numerals211e and 2111, respectively. As shown in FIG. 23, the three hydrauliccylinders are operatively connected for simultaneous operation by meansof the hydraulic conduits 234 and 235. The fiuid supply lines 234 and235 are adapted to supply the cylinders 211, and exhaust the same, withhydraulic fluid under pressure at predetermined times and by the afterdescribed control system. The numeral 236 indicates a conventionalhydraulic reservoir which is connected to the hydraulic pump 214 bymeans of the conduit 237. The pump 214 discharges fluid under pressureinto the conduit 238 which is connected to the check valve, or reliefvalve 239. The valve 239 is connnected by means of the conduits 240 and241 with the reservoir 236 so as to bypass the rest of the followingdescribed circuit when the pressure in the valve 239 exceeds thepredetermined pressure. Fluid under pressure is fed from the valve 239by means of the conduit 242 to the four-way control valve 243 which maybe of any suitable type. The control valve 243 is connected by means ofthe conduit 244 and the conduit 241 to the uid reservoir 236. The valve243 is adapted to be connected by means of the conduits 245 and 246 tothe hydraulic cylinder supply lines 234 and 235, respectively. lt willbe seen that when the conventional four-way valve 243 is operated in onedirection, it will function to supply pressure fluid to one of the lines234 and 235 while at the same time exhausting the other. This actionwill operate the cylinders 211 in the desired direction and by reversnigvalve 243, the cylinders would be operated in the other directionin thewell known manner.

While it will be apparent that the preferred embodiments of theinvention herein disclosed are well calculated to fulfill the objectsabove stated, it will be appreciated that the invention is susceptibleto modification, variation and change without departing from the properscope or fair meaning of the subjoined claims.

The numeral 249 generally indicates a dust box or housing which ispreferably mounted around the roller structures 197 at each screedmounting means.

What we claim is:

1. In a concrete forming and finishing machine having an elongatecarriage adapted to be supported at its opposite ends for movement alongspaced road forms defining the. sides of a roadbed, and an elongatedscreed mounted upon said carriage for finishing the surface of concretebetween the road forms; the improvement wherein said screed mountingcomprises means defining a plurality of vertically extending trackwaysfixedly mounted upon said carriage at longitudinally spaced locationsthereon, a plurality of individual slide members, each of said slidemembers being mounted in a trackway for sliding vertical movementrelative to said carriage guided by the trackway, a horizontalroller-track assembly fixedly secured to each of said slide members forvertical movement therewith, roller means supported for horizontalrolling movement in each of said roller-tracks, a screed hangersupported upon each of said roller means and depending downwardlytherefrom, an elongate screed coupled to said hangers and cooperativelysupported thereby, a plurality of fiuid motors, each motor being coupledbetween one of said slide members and said carriage for verticallyadjusting the slide member relative to said carriage, and means coupledbetween said screed and said carriage for driving said screed inlongitudinal reciprocation relative to said carriage.

2. In a concrete forming and finishing machine as defined in claim 1,the further improvement wherein each of said roller track assembliesincludes a rotor member supported upon said assembly for rotation aboutsaid vertical axis, said rotor members being engageable with a sidesurface of said screed in rolling engagement therewith to guide saidscreed in longitudinal reciprocation relative to said carriage.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,102,435 7/1914-Powers 94-45 X 1,619,083 3/1927 Maxon 94-45 1,801,622 4/ 1931 Blass94-45 2,866,394 12/1958 Smith 94-45 3,005,387 10/1961 Heltzel 94-453,015,257 1/1962 Apel et al 94-45 3,043,201 7/ 1962 Maxon 94-463,051,062 8/1962 Apel et al. 94-45 3,057,274 10/1962 Ianowitz 94-453,110,234 11/1963 Oster 94-45 3,113,494 12/1963 Barnes 94-45 3,118,3531/1964 Neil 94-48 X CHARLES n. ocoNNELL, Primary Examiner, JACOB L.NACKENOFF, Examiner.

1. IN A CONCRETE FORMING AND FINISHING MACHINE HAVING AN ELONGATECARRIAGE ADAPTED TO BE SUPPORTED AT ITS OPPOSITE ENDS FOR MOVEMENT ALONGSPACED ROAD FORMS DEFINING THE SIDES OF A ROADBED, AND AN ELONGATGEDSCREED MOUNTED UPON SAID CARRIAGE FOR FINISHING THE SURFACE OF CONCRETEBETWEEN THE ROAD FORMS; THE IMPROVEMENT WHEREIN SAID SCREED MOUNTINGCOMPRISING MEANS DEFINING A PLURALITY OF VERTICALLY EXTENDING TRACKWAYSFIXEDLY MOUNTED UPON SAID CARRIED AT LONGITUDIANALLY SPACED LOCATIONSTHEREON, A PLURALITY OF INDIVIDUAL SLIDE MEMBERS, EACH OF SAID SLIDEMEMBERS BEING MOUNTED IN A TRACKWAY FOR SLIDING VERTICAL MOVEMENTRELATIVE TO SAID CARRIAGE GUIDED BY THE TRACKWAY, A HORIZONTALROLLER-TRACK ASSEMBLY FIXEDLY SECURED TO EACH OF SAID SLIDE MEMBERS FORVERTICAL MOVE-